1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electro-optical systems, and more particularly relates to arrangements for supporting optical fibers and related optical components on an electronic printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,134, which issued on Aug. 29, 1989 to George M. Alameel, et al., discloses an "organizer" for optical fibers and related optical components, such as optical splices and splitters. The organizer is used for securing the optical fibers to a printed circuit board and to allow the optical fibers and components to interface with electrical components mounted on the printed circuit board. The organizer defines troughs for receiving the optical fibers and components, and defines between the troughs two openings of unused space.
There are several disadvantages with the optical fiber organizer disclosed in the Alameel, et al. patent. First, the organizer is mounted directly on the printed circuit board and thus occupies considerable board space. The organizer leaves little room on the printed circuit board for mounting electrical components. The electrical components may only be mounted in the unused space provided by the two openings in the organizer.
Second, the Alameel, et al. patent describes what appears to be a co-planar arrangement of optical fibers and their associated opto-electronic components, such as the optical transmitter and receiver. The transmitter and receiver are secured to the organizer and reside in substantially the same plane as the optical fibers. One disadvantage of this design is that additional space must now be provided on the organizer to accommodate the transmitter and receiver, which may be rather large. Such a requirement may interfere with the preferred routing of the optical fibers on the organizer. To fit on the organizer, the transmitter and receiver might have to be positioned such that the optical fibers they interface with exceed the minimum bend radius. As is well known, unlike copper wires, optical fibers loose their effectiveness when bent in a radius smaller than the minimum bend radius.
Another disadvantage of co-planarly arranging the transmitter and receiver with the optical fibers is that the organizer must now be situated on or close to the surface of the printed circuit board to avoid long lead lengths between the circuit board and the transmitter and receiver.